PREFACE.

TO "THE RUIN AND RECOVERY OF MANKIND.”

AMIDST

MIDST the darkness of our degenerate state, God has been pleased to furnish us with two springs of light, to lead us into the knowledge of our own misery, and to direct us in the way to his favour and our happiness. These are well known by the names of reason and revelation, that is, the reason of man and the revelation of God.

Right reason is ever uniform and consistent with itself, and is the same in all ages. It was given to man at first, to teach him all that we call natural religion; and even now, in its diminished glory, it gives sufficient evidence of our ruin, and assures us feelingly of our universal degeneracy, our lost innocence and peace: It affords us also many hints of the favourable condescensions of divine mercy, the necessity of our repentance of sin, and our trust in divine grace, in order to our recovery.

It is granted that the dictates of reason amongst the various tribes and generations of fallen mankind, have been mingled with a thousand prejudices, weaknesses and wanderings, with the mistakes of fancy, and the follies of superstition; and at best it has not been found of itself practically sufficient to instruct us in all things that relate to our salvation: Yet still, reason is a light given us by God himself, and it has very much to do in our direction toward our present duty and our final felicity. But since our reason is so defective, both in its discovery of our ruin and our restoration, God has been pleased to teach in a more immediate manner by the light of revelation, and has given to mankind early discoveries of his mind and will before scripture was written, and then by Moses and other holy writers, he has furnished them with knowledge of their original apostacy from God, their guilt and wretchedness; and he has been ever since leading them onwards by different steps or degrees towards the full discovery of his will and their salvation by Jesus Christ, the Mediator.

And since the revelations of God to men, have been so very early and various, and have been delivered to us by different persons, and in different ages, there may be some difficulties arising from this variety: There may be some seeming inconsistencies between the several parts of it, and some supposed oppositions to the light of reason: Yet it is certain that the two only lights which God has favoured us with in order to learn his will and our duty, can never contradict themselves, nor each other. There is not any one part of divine revelation which is really inconsistent with reason, or with any other parts of revelation itself. There is certainly a glorious connexion and divine harmony between them all, and all join together to make up one complete scheme, gradually advancing to perfection, and terminating and centering at last in our full recovery to the favour and image of God by the promised Messiah or Saviour. Now as the revelation of God in an illustrious manner supplies the denciencies of our reason, and enlightens our natural darkness in the knowledge of divine things, so the exercise of our reasoning powers is very necessary to assist us not only in the understanding of the several parts of revelation, but in reconciling them to each other as well as to the dictates of right reason. It is our reason which shews us this blessed harmony.

If it should be found, that in my sentiments on this subject I have followed no human scheme, no established system, no hypothesis of any contending party, let it be known that my studies have been more engaged in VOL. IV.

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meditation, than in reading controversies; reason and the bible were the only springs whence I derived my sentiments, and the only tests by which I tried them, and not the authority of any great name, or any sect or party among men. Therefore if any reader is determined already to believe nothing but what is perfectly conformable to some favourite system, or the opinions of the party, which he has chosen for his test of truth and error, I shall not court his favour, nor be greatly moved by his censure.

But if I have been so happy as to set these truths, which scripture has revealed concerning our misery and divine mercy, in so favourable a light, as to make it evident to well-disposed impartial readers, how far they are supported by reason itself, and to discover and maintain this agreement between these two different manifestations of God to men, I have attained my end: If I have been enabled in any measure to render these sacred truths more credi.. ble to the sincere enquirers after truth, and to relieve the divine revelations of scripture, against the cavils of an age which greatly pretends to reason, I shall account my labour well employed.

The deist will have no longer cause to triumph in the assurance of his attacks against scripture, nor shall the christian want matter for his satisfaction and joy, when he sees his divine religion vindicated by the powers of reason.

My chief design, and that which has regulated all my meditations and reasonings, is to establish and confirm what appears to me to be plain matter of fact, in the sinful and miserable circumstances of all the children of Adam by nature, and their hopes of recovery by divine grace, so far as either the light of nature or scripture would assist me, and to vindicate the moral perfections of God, his holiness, justice, and goodness in his works of providence and grace, or in his whole government of the world. The ground-work of my scheme is laid in the original rectitude of man, and his early degeneracy into sin and misery; and I have drawn from the mere light of nature, sufficient proof and evidence of both these.

If what has been said in answer to the first question, does not sufficiently prove the doctrine of original sin from the universal sinfulness and misery of mankind, I hope the first essay in the appendix will do it; the first part whereof represents that subject more largely, as it relates to the misery of man, and the latter end of it briefly enforces the argument from his universal sinfulness, both by reason and scripture. The reader is desired to forgive the repetition of a few sentiments which are set in various lights, especially considering that this essay was first designed only for a philosophical enquiry or amusement, and not to take its place in this book.

It would have been needless labour to enter into any examination of the learned Doctor Whitby's scheme published in his writings, and to answer all his objections about original sin, imputed or inherent: For if the facts which I recite concerning the sinful nature and wretched circumstances of mankind even from their infancy are found by constant experience and observation to be true, then a great part of his scheme vanishes and dies as a matter of mere mistake in fact: And if my scheme or hypothesis for the solution of the diffi culties which attend this doctrine, is supported by reason and scripture, then his objections against it must fall of course. No objection against a certain truth can ever be valid or strong, though at first view it may appear ever so plausible. And I thought this to be the plainest and shortest way of writing and reasoning, and not to embarrass my readers more thau was necessary with the perplexities of controversial writings on so difficult a subject*.

Besides all this I add, that though a considerable part of that writer's ob jections against original sin may lie heavy on some defenders of it, yet those

* Yet I must confess in the second edition of this book, I have found this intermixture of objections and answers more necessary than I imagined; and that merely to keep errors from triumph, and honest readers from mistake.

difficulties are utterly precluded by the hypothesis which I have proposed in the last question. What that very learned author has drawn out of the fathers with much labour and criticism, let it fall on either side of the controversy, will have but small force to move any man who considers these two things:

1. How little we can suppose to learn of the certain doctrines of Christ and his apostles, with any exactness and accuracy from the mere traditions of persons who lived for the most part a hundred and fifty, two hundred, to three hundred years after them? For we have the original sacred writings as well as they; the rest is all but tradition and uncertainty.

2. When he considers that the early fathers, who wrote before these controversies arose and were debated in the church, represented their sentiinents on these subjects in very loose and indeterminate language,, as Doctor Whitby himself will easily allow, and they were indeed hardly consistent with themselves, or with one another, in this as well as in many other points of opinion or doctrine. This uncertainty of their sense is the spring of many debates between Doctor Whitby and Gerard Vossius.

I know some opinions will be found here, which are supposed to be borrowed from the common schemes of orthodox writers, but let them not be at once renounced with contempt and disdain*, by any age which is fond of novelty and reasoning. Perhaps there may be some reasonings here brought to support them, which have not been set in a clear and full light by former writers; and notwithstanding their old-fashioned appearances, these may be found to be divine truths.

If the reader shall meet with any new thoughts here, let not the book be at once rejected on that account: This preface entreats the author may be forgiven, who has entered into an untrodden path sometimes, not willingly, but he has been constrained to it, in order to solve such difficulties as we have never yet seen relieved to the general satisfaction of men, by all the usual and common tracks of argument. "Every scribe who is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, should bring forth out of his treasure things new and old," Mat. xiii. 52.

If every person who is pleased to peruse these leaves, pays but the same high veneration to what scripture has revealed, has the same just regards to the plain dictates of right reason, the same deep sense of the difficulties which attend these enquiries, and such a constant zeal to abolish the controversies of christianity, and to reconcile contending christians, as the writer desires to have; I persuade myself there will not be many rash and sudden or severe censures pronounced upon the arguments here used, though they may not happen to convince the reader: Nor will there be many angry adversaries, or many disdainful opposers of the reconciling sentiments of this book, whether they may carry in them the appearance of being old or new,

Neither novelty nor antiquity of opinion can make any certain pretences to truth, nor can they be esteemed just prejudices against it: As there are many divine truths which have been known and acknowledged from all antiquity, so I am persuaded there are some others which have never been seen in their full force and perspicuity since the days of our Saviour and the apostles; there are some sacred verities which have had much darkness diffused

It is too frequent a custom of many readers to applaud or censure a book very highly, according to the opinion it favours, not according to the reason or argument it produces. If the opinion be agreeable to the sentiments and language of any particular party, which the reader has chosen, the arguments, though ever so common or trifling, are pronounced strong and cogent. On the other hand, if the opinion happen to be near a-kin to those of a contrary sect, then the arguments brought to support it are all trifling: The author is a heretic, and therefore his reasonings must needs be all weak and insufficient, f not dangerous and destructive." May divine providence deliver all that I write on deep and difficult subjects from the hand of such readers, till they are become more sincere and impartial in the search of truth }

around them by early corruptions of the faith, and by the controversies of succeeding ages; and these stand in need of some further light to dissipate that darkness, and restore them to their primitive perspicuity. Whether any of my attempts or labours here shall be successful for this end, must be entrusted with the judgment of the reader, and the providence of God.

And now I have proposed these thoughts to the world in hope to clear up some difficulties in our holy religion, and to shew how far our own reason may support what scripture reveals: I leave all with the public, and shall not be solicitous to support all these sentiments, or to vindicate these proposals. If any person can derive any degree of light toward his satisfaction from these papers, I shall rejoice with him. Let every one chuse what he likes, and neglect the rest. I will not persuade any man to be of my opinion till he sees reason for it; and whensoever I see reason, I shall change them myself. Our best-concerted schemes have their imperfections, and therefore I dare not assume certainty in matters of doubtful disputation: Nor do I assert or affirm several things which I have here written; for I know myself a weak fallible creature, and it is no wonder if I should fall into mistakes.

I should be glad to see a safer and more consistent scheme on these subjects proposed to the world, which may rectify all the errors of this book with convincing evidence, and scatter our darknesses like a rising sun. To cavil at particular thoughts or phrases is much easier than to form a perfect hypothesis. But it is the prerogative of the great God only to pierce through all his own infinite schemes with an unerring eye, to surround them with an all-comprehensive view, to grasp them all in one single survey, and to spread a reconciling light over all their immense varieties. Man must yet grapple with difficulties in this dusky twilight; but God in his time will irradiate the earth more plentifully with his light and truth; then darkness and contensions shall fly away for ever. Hasten, O Lord the happy day. Amen.

It is no little pains that I have taken to review this book since it was printed,

as well as many years before: I have read also what has been published in opposition to it, and I would ever keep my mind in such a temper, as is ready to receive the truth from every quarter, and learn my mistakes in order to amend them.

But I am not yet convinced of any errors in the general doctrines here maintained; nor does my heart tell me, that my representation of the wretched state of mankind in its present degenerate circumstances exceeds the truth. It is by no means true, which some have imagined, that a retirement from the world, and dwelling much among my own solitary thoughts and old authors, have led me into these melancholy and dismal apprehensions of mankind: But it is my free and public converse with the world in my earlier and more sprightly parts of life, have given me these just and distressful views of all the race of Adam. Daily observation in riper years continues to assure, that there is much more folly, sin, and misery among men, than I have described: Hereby my proof and evidence of some original and criminal degeneracy of the creature grows brighter and stronger, since these mischiefs could not arise merely from the immediate hand of God, as a righteous and merciful Creator.

This scriptural doctrine of original sin has engaged my pen, because, in my opinion, it has a most extensive and powerful influence on several parts of practical godliness; I think a deep sense of it lays the best foundation of our submission to those blessed doctrines of grace, which make up so great a part of the gospel of Christ. It is this article which humbles and abases the pride of man, and brings him to disclaim all self-sufficiency, and to lie at the foot of God. It is this makes him poor in spirit, and renders him constantly a dependant and supplicant for divine grace. This leads him out of himself to Christ for righteousness, wisdom, and strength, as well as excites him to a more fervent gratitude for every blessing of soul and body. It is this doctrine that powerfully forbids those vicious passions of self-admiration, and scorn of our neighbour, and as strongly inclines us to christian compassion. It softens our hearts to pity and relieve each other in the various distresses of flesh or spirit, since we are all by nature under the same condemnation and misery.

Whensoever I see this doctrine of original sin rejected and renounced, there is sufficient reason from many observations, to expect the glories of the gospel will in the same proportion be depreciated, neglected and despised: If we are all born still in our original state of nature and innocency, the abounding grace and salvation of Christ Jesus does not seem so very necessary for us; if it was but a little bruise we suffered by the fall of Adam, a little grace may heal us. Nor shall I wonder to see any man by degrees run entirely into deism, who scornfully abandons this truth. I confess I take this article to be of such eminent importance in our holy profession, as bespeaks our solicitous regards; though a late author, with whom I have now to do, calls it, "one of the greatest absurdities in all the system of corrupt religion,”

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